Airlines plead with Boris Johnson to introduce airport coronavirus tests to get round quarantine

Airlines BA, Virgin Atlantic, easyJet and TUI plead with Boris Johnson to introduce airport Covid tests to allow arrivals from ‘high risk’ nations like the US to bypass quarantine – as Greece and Croatia ‘are on the brink of being added to the red list’

They urged the Government to adopt a system similar to that in Germany
Passengers there tested on arrival and released from quarantine if it is negative
CEOs said tests ‘would play a critical role in supporting US-UK connectivity’

By David Wilcock, Whitehall Correspondent For Mailonline

Published: 11:29 BST, 18 August 2020 | Updated: 12:19 BST, 18 August 2020

Britain’s biggest airlines urged Boris Johnson to bring in a regime of airport coronavirus testing today in a bid to eevive air routes with pandemic hot-spots like the United States.

The chief executives of British Airways, TUI, easyJet and Virgin Atlantic have written to the Prime Minister, warning him that major routes connecting the UK with important world centres are at risk unless passenger travel is increased.

They urged the Government to adopt a system similar to that in Germany, where passengers are tested on arrival, quarantine until they get a result and then are released if it is negative.

In the letter, BA’s Alex Cruz, Virgin Atlantic’s Shai Weiss, TUI’s Kenton Jarvis, easyJet’s Johan Lundgren and Tim Alderslade, the chief executive of trade body Airlines UK, wrote: ‘We recognise there isn’t a single international approach, but we believe a UK testing protocol based on the German model would stimulate significant demand while protecting public health.

‘It would play a critical role both in supporting US-UK connectivity but also in safeguarding connections with key European and other global markets.’

In the letter, BA’s Alex Cruz (right, back of photo) and other CEOs told Boris Johnson ‘a UK testing protocol based on the German model would stimulate significant demand while protecting public health’

Many airlines are teetering on the brink of collapse as global air travel has collapsed since March

The UK is currently adding more countries to its quarantine list as coronavirus case surge again around the world.

Many airlines are teetering on the brink of collapse as global air travel has collapsed since March.

Travellers returning from countries including Spain, France, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands and the United States all face a fortnight in isolation. The US has had its borders closed to new UK arrivals for several months.

There are increasing fears that Greece and Croatia could be added to the list when data is reviewed.

The executives also called for the US to reopen its borders to travellers from the UK.

‘Restoring consumer confidence and passenger flying at scale will also require the US to open its borders to UK residents,’ they said.

‘It is our hope that the UK taking a lead on testing will support that vital economic objective.’

Anxious wait for holidaymakers in Greece as Covid cases rise

Greece is one country whose Covid-19 figures are likely to be scrutinised closely by the UK Government over the next few days.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps last week said quarantine measures could be introduced for any country recording a seven-day rate of more than 20 cases per 100,000 people.

In Greece, the latest seven-day rate is 13.5 cases per 100,000 people, up from 9.0 one week earlier and 2.5 one month ago.

The rate is clearly increasing, although not as steeply as was evident in Spain and France in recent weeks.

Another popular tourist destination, Italy, has also seen its numbers tick upwards, but the rate is currently at a much lower level than Greece – 5.5, up from 4.1 a week ago.

For now, both Greece and Italy remain on the list of countries from which people do not need to quarantine on arrival in the UK.

Belgium was taken off the list earlier this month, despite its numbers putting it over the 20 cases per 100,000 mark. The latest figures numbers show a week-on-week drop in the seven-day rate, from 37.5 to 28.3.

Spain (60.6) and France (30.8) also continue to be above this threshold.

Germany has seen its weekly rate creep upwards over the past month, but at a slow pace: figures for the last four seven-day periods are 4.6, 5.8, 7.1 and 9.3.

Ireland is currently recording a seven-day rate of 11.1 – roughly the same as in the previous week, but up from 2.7 a month ago.

As for the UK, 11.5 cases per 100,000 people were recorded in the seven days to August 16, up from 9.2 in the previous week. At the start of July the rate was 9.4, while at the beginning of June it was 20.9.

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